A Sick Hayate
by starbuxx
Summary: Hayate has fallen ill and Roy is there to comfort Riza every step of the way. A cute story : Riza Hawkeye Roy Mustang and our favorite shiba inu Black Hayate :


"Where are you going?"

"I told you earlier."

"…"

"I have to leave early today, sir."

"Why?"

"… I told you earlier."

Roy stopped toying with the pen on his desk. He didn't remember her telling him that's she was leaving. Or where she was going. Well, she probably did tell him. He was most likely not paying attention.

"Err… how about giving me a hint?"

She rolled her eyes. "Hayate has not been feeling well. I'm taking him to the vet today." She said, picking up her things. He dropped his pen. "Oh. I didn't know he was sick." he grumbled. She turned to make her way to the door.

"Hey.. Wait. When's the appointment at?" he called. She turned her head ."In an hour."

"Here. How about ill pick you up?"

"Oh, thank you sir, but that's not necessary-"

"Nonsense… I'll pick you up from your place when I finish here."

Riza herd Roy's car stop in front of her apartment just as she was picking up Hayate. The poor dog whimpered and whined, eyes shut closed. She coddled him in both her arms, his face cuddling deep into her neck. A solid few knocks landed on the door, the dog winced at the sound. Riza wet to open the door to find a suit-jacket and jeans clad Roy waiting there. He looked suave in his casual yet still acceptable way of dressing; a black suit jacket over a crisp white shirt and dark jeans. She, too, switched from military garb to civilian clothing. In a tan jacket, green top, a black skirt and boots, she looked rather elegant.

"Thank you, sir" she greeted the colonel.

"How is he?" he said, extending his hand to gently brush the soft fur on the pup's head. His knuckles gently grazed Riza's neck a couple of times while doing so.

"He hasn't been eating…" she said softly. "He's been acting so strange, so lethargic… Its so unlike him." she buried her face into his furry body. Roy had never seen her act so softly before. It melted his heart a little.

"Come on, lets go." he cooed, leading her toward his car with a hand on her shoulder.

Riza kept her gaze on the sleeping dog in her lap and she and Roy waited in the vet's office. She assured him that he didn't need to come in, but he insisted, and she accepted just short of him discharging her for insubordination.

"We will have to keep him her overnight. We will operate in the morning." the doctor said calmly. "He just has a few bits of undigested materials in his stomach, nothing too major." he reassured. But no amount of reassurance could stop her from worrying all day and night.

She gave the dog one last hug and kiss before handing over the sleepy pup to the vet. She couldn't make herself look at them walking away with her beloved companion.

"Lets go." she said sternly, not even a moment after the door swung shut behind the vet. He went to answer, but she got up abruptly before he could even speak. He was startled by her quick exit, but followed her nonetheless.

She was already out of the building when he had just exited the office.

"Hey, Riza! Hold on a sec!" he said, finally catching up with her. She was still walking away. "Riza-" he said again, grabbing her shoulder. She whipped around quickly, almost fiercely. Her eyes glistened with a layer of water and tears stung at the corners of her eyes. Her teeth were clenched tightly, trying to fight back the tears. He was taken aback by her expression.

They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, not quite knowing what to do. Suddenly, the stiffness broke, and Riza threw her arms around Roy's neck. She buried her face into his neck. He felt little stings of her tears hit his skin. He hesitantly put his arms around her back, carefully.

"I'm- I'm sorry…" she said after a few minutes. She went to pull away, but he held fast. Her eyes watered again. "I know" he murmured into her blonde hair. "I just don't know what to do… Im so scared for him…" she whispered. "I know" he cooed again.

"Come on," he said softly, loosening his grip, then readjusting it to around her shoulders. "I'll take you home."

The car ride was silent, with only the low hum of the tires on the road below them slightly disturbing the cold silence. He often looked over to her, to check on her. Every time he looked over, she was looking down, her hair hiding her face from him, or looking out the window, her hand cradling her face.

When he pulled up to her apartment, she exited the car almost wordlessly, barely breathing out a weak "Thank you."

She opened the door to her apartment. When the jingle of a collar didn't greet her, a wave of sadness washed over her.

Riza had just finished washing the dishes after dinner when she herd another firm knock on the door. Wondering who would be visiting at such an odd hour, she precariously opened the door. To her surprise, it was her colonel.

"…Good evening, sir." she said. It was less of a statement or greeting, and more like a question. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head slightly, looking off to the side. "I was worried about you, lieutenant." he said, still looking away, then down, then away again. He had gotten a quick glimpse of her face when she had opened the door. Her eyes were red and a little puffy. He couldn't bring himself to look back into those tear-stained eyes again.

"Oh…" she whispered, shuffling a bit behind the door. She had changed into a white tank top and tight, black shorts. Roy was wearing the same outfit as earlier, but he had his spare clothes in his car. "Listen, Riza… How about I, umm…" he paused, shuffling around the words in his mind. He didn't want to sound too forward. "What if I stay here tonight. With you. I felt bad leaving you here all alone earlier…" He finally looked up.

Riza stayed quiet for a moment. "Oh, Roy, that's very kind of you, but you shouldn't have to go out of your way to-" he cut her off. "Well, there is no work tomorrow, so its technically not out of my way. " he said, dragging long on the 'way.' "And besides. I cant let one of my long-time friends be alone in a time lie this. He said, giving a small, charming smile. "So what do you say?"

For the first time that day, she let out a subtle, but genuine, smile.

"Here you are." Riza said, handing Roy a warm cup of coffee. He said his thanks and she joined him on the couch. They were both sitting on the far sides of the couch, sipping their coffee silently for a few moments.

He looked over at her as he took a long sip. She was holding the cup close to her chest, looking down into the steaming liquid it contained. It made his heart turn over inside of him to see her so distraught. Her eyes drifted from her coffee to the table then down onto the floor, gliding across the polished floor until her amber eyes met a small pile of Hayate's favorite toys. She jerked her glance away abruptly.

She broke the silence first. "He's never been sick before." she said, voice cracking. She was still looking down. "Do you think he will be okay?" her eyes shyly met his.

She sat there, looking so small and scared. It was the first time in their whole friendship where he saw her look that way. And it scared him.

"Yes- Of course." he said, coarsely. He cleared his throat. He moved a little closer to her on the couch. "The vet said it was minor. Routine. Mundane. He'll be okay, I'm sure." he smiled to reassure her further. She smiled and shook her head. "I hope so."

It was about two in the morning. Riza lay in her bead, wide awake, looking straight up at her ceiling. She let out a sight and rolled over onto her side. She has been tossing and turning all night, trying to find a position that would make her comfortable enough to drift off into slumber. She sighed again. When she didn't feel the warm little animal next to her, she shut her eyes tightly to stop the tears from escaping.

Roy was hardly asleep when he herd light, bare footsteps make contact with the cool floor of the kitchen. He rolled over onto his side, looking out past the armrest of the couch. From the streetlights lending their light through the windows, he saw Riza's frame sitting at the bar counter in the kitchen. He had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he could see the details. When they did, he saw her more clearly. Her face was resting, hiding, in one of her hands, the other was wrapped around a glass, probably full of water.

He brushed a hand through his hair and slowly sat up. Riza let out a small gasp. "Oh-" she said, hurriedly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Mmm, no." he said softly. "I was barely asleep. What are you doing up?" he asked. She laughed a little. "I couldn't get myself to sleep, for the life of me…" He got himself up and made his way to the kitchen, his hand clumsily fondling the wall for the light switch. The first thing he saw when the lights went on was Riza's face, tears streaming down both sides. As soon as she saw him looking at her, she turned her head away quickly and wiped the tears away.

"Oh Riza…" he sat down next to her at the counter. He rested a hand on her back. She laughed a little. "No.. I… I.. I just…" she stopped, figuring there was nothing that really needed to be said. She just looked down. She noticed he had changed into black sweatpants and a white t-shirt. "You need to get some sleep." he whispered to her. "Come with me." she didn't hesitate. He lead her with a hand on her back to the couch. He had sat down first, at an angle. He motioned her down. He wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her into his chest. He then laid down fully, still holding her. Her head rested on his chest; they were so close that she could hear his heart beat under her. It was very natural, her lying there. She buried her face into his chest, and eventually fell asleep in his arms.

Roy woke up to the bright sunlight of an early morning streaming through the windows. It took him a while to realize the slight weight of the warm body on top of him. He looked over at her face. Her eyes were shut peacefully. They weren't as red or puffy as they were the night before. He closed his eyes and retightened his loosened grip. A small moan came from her lips. Her arms tightened around his chest.

"Riza…" he whispered hoarsely. "Riza what time do you get Hayate?" At the sound of her dog's name, she shot up off his chest. "Oh my God what time is it…" She shuffled about, looking for a clock. Cool air replaced the warm spot where her body was just a second ago. "Its eight thirty." he grumbled, shading his hair with his hand, propping himself up with one arm. "I have to go get him in twenty minutes…" she got up quickly and ran into her room to change. Roy himself finally got himself up and switched his clothes, too. He had finished just about when she came out.

"I'll drive you." he offered.

"Oh Roy, you did so much for me already, I-"

"Well, I couldn't have you carrying you sick puppy home, now could I?" he smirked.

She smiled. She wasn't going to win this one. "Sure. Thank you."

Riza fidgeted incessantly as they waited in the vet's office. She wrung her hands in her lap. Roy had never seen her so nervous. He rested a comforting hand on her knee. His stomach was in a knot for her. The long silence was broken by the vet opening the door, carrying the little black dog in his arms. He had a successful smile on his face as he handed the creature to her. She readily opened her arms for the dog, smiling brightly. She drew him to her chest and felt his slow, peaceful, warm breath coming from his wet nose on her neck. She sighed and chuckled in relief.

"He did well in surgery. Such a well-behaved dog you have there." he smiled openly. As he went on explaining the surgery, care, and recovery, she hugged him gently and laid many kisses on his head. Roy watched her in amusement. All the worry and gut-wrenching fear left the both of them so easily. He reached over and strokes the dog, brushing his hand against Riza's cheek.

They left the office laughing a bit. She cooed to the dog on the walk to the car. "I'm so happy he's okay!" She exclaimed, laughing, even tearing up a bit. She kept planting little kisses on the dog over and over, hugging him in a way so she didn't irritate his stitches. Roy laughed, too. "I'm glad everything is alright. I'm glad its all over." he smirked. "What do you say? Lets take this little guy home."

Riza was on the floor of her apartment, placing the sleeping dog in a little bed she made up for him. She sat there for a while, her hands on her knees, just watching him breathe. Roy knelt on the floor behind her, peering over her shoulder.

"Thank you for everything, Roy." she said as she turned around, now sitting on the floor. "It meant a lot to me… How you were there for me. Thank you." He waved his hand. "Riza, don't be silly. You know that I'm there for you." he paused, then started to joke. "Hmm. Well, maybe not for you. I must admit I much prefer Black Hayate's company…" he smirked, hand at his chin. She smiled and rolled her eyes at him, placing a hand playfully at his chest.

They suddenly realized how close they were. They looked at each other silently forma moment, unconsciously drawing closer. He held her chin in his hand, pulling her in. Her eyes started to close. The dog whimpered right before their lips touched. Like a flash of lightening, she quickly escaped his grasp and turned to tend to the whining pup. He was thrown off by her sudden shift of attention.

He started laughing and placed his arm around her waist. When the dog went quiet again, she let him draw her back into his arms. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, and gave him the kiss she snatched away from him earlier.


End file.
